New MATC course: Digital Data and Analytics

We are excited to announce a new course, JOMC 890: Digital Data and Analytics. We believe this reflects changes in the communications field and will make the MATC degree even more valuable.

The primary goal of JOMC 890: Digital Data and Analytics is to help students view problems from a data perspective and understand how to systematically analyze such problems. In this course, students will learn:

• the types of questions that data can and cannot answer.
• the basics of the Python programming language (no prior programming experience is necessary).
• how to access and interact with data in a wide variety of formats.
• how to transform data, particularly unstructured data, into an analysis-ready format.
• the basics of data analysis from basic statistical models to machine learning to natural language processing.
• how to best communicate and present the results of an analysis.

JOMC 890 will be taught by associate professor Joe Bob Hester in the Spring semester of the first year. The course will replace JOMC 714: Database and Web Research in the program.

The Certificate in Technology and Communication is also replacing JOMC 714: Database and Web Research with JOMC 890: Digital Data and Analytics. Certificate students admitted Fall 2014 and beyond and who are subsequently admitted to the MATC program will be allowed to transfer credit for JOMC 711 and JOMC 890.

If you have questions about these changes, please contact matc@unc.edu.